Enormous story full of big emotions

Revue West Michigan has a glowing review of Deos Contemporary Ballet's take on Jane Eyre.

And Deos Ballet brings to life this dramatic telling exquisitely through both movement and language, maximizing the romanticism and lyricism of both the novel and dance with tremendous expressivity.

Movement and text work together in Choreographer and Artistic Director Tess Sinke’s vision, and she makes use of Brontë’s words (script organized by Kathleen Lewis) through a narrator on stage (Martha Bellamy) as well as choreography driven by academic classical ballet movements married with contemporary expressions to communicate both plot and emotion beautifully. The effect heightens a feminist interpretation of the classic tale as it’s thoroughly embodied, both literally and figuratively, primarily through women’s bodies.

And this largely female cast is exquisite and universally talented as both dancers and actors. Leah Haggard is a marvelous Jane Eyre. With long limbs and extraordinary extensions, she’s physically outstanding and also captures both the character’s rich evolution as well as the vast range of emotion in the quality of her movements. 

Haggard is paired beautifully with Michael Burke, who is an utterly charming and wonderfully complex Rochester. Their complicated love story develops from its initial tensions to reciprocated rescues to painful forced rejection to abiding love through a series of gorgeous pas de deux. What begins as a kind of confrontational dance off transitions into remarkable grace: dramatic lifts, tremendous backbends that lift hearts to the heavens, and a repeated motif: with her hugging his neck he spins her suspended with her body practically parallel to the ground. The centrifugal force symbolizes the powerful ways the world has conspired to separate them; her arms around him keep them together, their connection stronger than anything that may keep them apart.

This kind of symbolic movement and repeated motifs are a huge part of what makes this ballet adaptation especially pleasing and effectively communicate theme throughout the ballet.

For example, Madison Massara-Leister’s Bertha Mason is tortured. Like a big cat in a cage, she paces and lashes out; barefoot and dressed in red, she bites her arm held parallel to the ground then slaps it away with her other hand. Her pas de deux with Haggard are stunning; at times they mirror one another, in deep plié and wide second they roll their heads and reach for the floor, a moving image that represents confusion and grief. They also dance together with a wedding veil Massara-Leister wraps around her neck like a noose and then rips apart. The symbolism is perfectly dramatic.

This enormous story full of big emotions is told with just a cast of 12, though Sinke’s choreography creates small but mighty corps de ballet numbers reminiscent of 19th Century choreographer Marius Petipa’s works, another homage to the romantic period. The corps is universally powerful with standout performances from Isabelle Ramey as both Helen Burns and Blanche Ingram, two very different and distinct characters who shape Jane Eyre’s trajectory.

The technical elements in this show are also strong, allowing the dancing to take center stage while also making the story perfectly accessible. Dave Johnson’s lights in conjunction with David Olgers’ sound create clear transitions and shifts in plot as well as emotion, from red lights in conjunction with the sound of a blaze for the destructive fires, to dim lights and the tick tock of a clock to show anticipation, time and space as well as emotion are shaped. 

And Grace Sinke’s elegant, uncomplicated, period costumes move beautifully and help establish character in subtle ways. For example, Haggard’s costume changes take place on stage to show her transition from girl to governess to lover to wife and she begins as a child in black booties but ultimately graduates to pointe shoes by the end of the show to show how she becomes a self-realized woman in command of her life and choices.

Indeed, Deos Contemporary Ballet’s “Jane Eyre” itself is a self realized adaptation that makes good on the promise of the possibilities of both dance and literature as expressive and deeply feminist art forms. What is classic is made new again beautifully. (Marin Heinritz)

AnneBrontë.org has a post on 'The Publication Of Jane Eyre'.

The Moors in Berkeley

Jen Silverman's The Moors is being performed in Berkeley, CA:

Theatre Lunatico presents

The Moors

by Jen Silverman

Directed by Tara Blau Smollen

With Rachel Brown, Devon deGroot, Shawn Oda, James Perry, Sophie Ruf, and Lauri Smith.

October 19 - November 3

La Val's Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709

This Halloween, delve into the treacherous moors, where birds plummet from the sky and diaries reveal murderous plots! After accepting an enigmatic job offer, Emilie finds herself stranded with two sisters and their maid. On the isolated moors, expectations are upended at every turn and queer sexual tension crackles. In this bloody, punk-rock melodrama, Jen Silverman (Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties) draws inspiration from the Brontë sisters to deliver a twisted take on the Victorian gothic.

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Witchy Vibes and Windswept Hills

Manchester Evening News looks into the social networks to find the perfect autumn village in the UK: Haworth.

There’s one place which perfectly encapsulates the autumn spirit, and luckily for us it’s only an hour away from Greater Manchester. Haworth, a small village in West Yorkshire is fast-becoming a must-visit destination for an autumn day out. (...)

Haworth was also included in @Yorkshirefi’s “autumn bucket list for Yorkshire” video. She recommends visiting The Cabinet of Curiosities in the village, which is full of “witchy vibes” and heading for an “autumnal walk in the Brontë countryside at Haworth”. Another video she shared features a “cosy autumn day in Haworth”, pointing out that it’s perfect for book lovers. (...)

Since autumn is a popular time to curl up with a good book, a visit to the Bronte Parsonage Museum is a must for literary fans. It was the home of the Bronte family and you can experience the sisters’ day-to-day lives at the museum, which boasts an impressive collection of furniture, clothes and their personal items.

Add a literary twist to your autumn walk and head up to Top Withens, a ruined farmhouse near to Haworth which is said to inspire the Wuthering Heights house. It lies on the Pennine Way and it is a challenging walk located four miles from the village, but worth it for the breathtaking views. (Liv Clarke)

The New York Times lists some unexpected spooky books for the Halloween season.

“I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys,” by Miranda Seymour (...)=

Although almost every aspect of Rhys’s life has been, in the biographer’s words, “pitilessly scrutinized” and eagerly conflated with those of her often tricky antiheroines, Seymour was the first to travel to the Caribbean island of Dominica, where Rhys grew up as the descendant of British colonials whose sugar-plantation-based fortune had long since dissipated. Yes, this informed her masterpiece “Wide Sargasso Sea” in the most literal sense: She knew the people, the land, the social hierarchies, the tangled racial and social politics. But she also knew what it was to be the outsider, the villain, the minor character. (Sadie Stein)

The Bolton News visits Wycoller Hall and its surroundings:

According to records, Jane Eyre author Charlotte Brontë would often trek over the Pennines from her home in Howarth (sic) to visit the hall and the rest of Trawden Forest. (Liam Milton)

Chelsea News recommends Dark Ladies, still being performed in New York:

Did you know that Halloween was invented in Ireland? That’s what the Irish Arts Center is claiming. Families wishing to find out if that’s true (or who would like to celebrate Halloween the Irish way) should get tickets to Dark Ladies, a play based on ghost stories by Victorian female writers like Emily Brontë and Edith Wharton that is running until November 3rd. (Alex Dolansky)

The Sunday Times recommends the reboot of Frasier:

Nicholas Lyndhurst as Frasier’s old friend Alan, Anders Keith as Frasier’s nephew David and Toks Olagundoye as Roz analogue Olivia promise to become more than makeweight substitutes for the original cast, while jokes about Oedipus and the Brontë sisters prove there’s been no shedding of wit. And if the reboot is not for you, all 11 series of the masterful original (1993-2004) are also available. (Tim Glanfield, Joe Clay and Seren Morris)

Le Point (Frace) and many French media quote from the press conference of Isabelle Huppert after being awarded the Lumière Award 2024 in Lyon:

 Je pense que l'on peut être actrice un peu comme les sœurs Brontë qui ont écrit Les Hauts de Hurlevent et Jane Eyre et tout ce qu'elles ont écrit sans jamais être sorties de leur presbytère", a ajouté Isabelle Hupert, se félicitant de la mission de "mémoire" qu'entretient le festival Lumière de Lyon. (Translation)

The Brussels Brontë Blog describes a presentation given by Joanne Wilcock to the Brussels Brontë Group about Brontë-related places in northern England.  Joanne Wilcock shared images and commentary on locations significant to the Brontë family, including schools, homes, and landscapes that inspired their novels. The presentation covered biographical details of the Brontë siblings and their parents, as well as places like Hathersage in Derbyshire, which inspired elements of Jane Eyre.

A local reader of Wuthering Heights in Diari de Tarragona (Spain). Yesterday's Vox crossword contained a Brontë-related question: "Author of Jane Eyre". The Westmeath Examiner publishes some poems by Brendan Mahon, including one: A Moor's Tale with plenty of Brontë references.

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Jane Eyre in Grand Rapids

A new Jane Eyre dance adaptation has been premiered in Grand Rapids, MI:

Does contemporary ballet presents:

Jane Eyre

Choreography by Tess Sinke

Costumes by Grace Sinke

With Leah Haggard, Madison Massara-Leister, Michael Burke, Allison Haan, Bronwyn Smith, Isabelle Ramey, Lauren Hansen, Martha Bellamy, Maren Lowry, Darrell Haggard, Austin Leader and David Armbrecht.

Friday, October 18 at 7pm

Saturday, October 19 at 7pm

Sunday, October 20 at 2pm

St. Cecilia Music Center

24 Ransom Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States

Experience the classic romantic drama as it’s never been told before. Tess Sinke’s latest original ballet, Jane Eyre, explores the story of the beloved 19th century novel by English author Charlotte Brontë. A tale of moral responsibility, social injustice and the role that women play in it all, Jane Eyre will delight ballet and literary lovers alike. 

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More Wuthering Heights in Rome

A new chance to see Martina Badiluzzi's adaptation of Wuthering Heights as a part of the Romaeuropa Festival 2024:

Cime Tempestose

Direction and dramaturgy by Martina Badiluzzi

With Arianna Pozzoli and Loris De Luna

Dramaturg: Giorgia Buttarazzi

Dramaturgy collaboration: Margherita Mauro

Set design: Rosita Vallefuoco

Sound and music: Samuele Cestola

19 October 19 h

20 October 17 h

Teatro Vascello,  Via Giacinto Carini, 78, 00152 Roma RM, Italy

The transformative power of women's writing is manifested through authors like Emily Brontë who have redefined the literary landscape and shaped the imagination of generations. Through novels like "Wuthering Heights," the writer was able to express the fervor for emancipation that permeated her experience in the Victorian Yorkshire moors. Raised in a context that blended the wild nature of the region with the ferment of the industrial revolution, forced to conceal her authorship under a male pseudonym, Brontë deeply reflected on the emerging alienation in the capitalist society of the time. It is no coincidence, then, that director Martina Badiluzzi turned to this novel and its author for the fourth chapter of her cycle on female identities ("Cattiva sensibilità”," "The Making of Anastasia" - winner of the Venice Biennale Under 30 Directors competition in 2019 - and "Penelope" - co-produced by Romaeuropa Festival 2022). Her "Cime Tempestose" is a dialogue between the interior and exterior, a reflection on the ambivalence of human nature. Transporting the audience to the center of Catherine and Heathcliff's tormented universe (here played by Arianna Pozzoli and Loris De Luna), Badiluzzi pays homage to the intrinsic power of literature and art, concluding her journey on identities with two tragic figures of the contemporary "founding myth of our society, a tale of the profound misunderstanding between feminine and masculine, between nature and civilization."

More information in Full D'Assi Magazine, GBopera, Metropolitan Magazine ...

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Tales of Love and Self-Discovery

Fox17 West Michigan announces the performances of a new Jane Eyre ballet in Grand Rapids, MI:

For the first time ever the enthralling story of Jane Eyre is being brought to the Grand Rapids stage in ballet form.

Deos Contemporary Ballet offers a 3-show run of this evening-length adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s tale of love, and self-discovery this weekend, October 18-20.

“We are thrilled to create this extraordinary new production for our dedicated Grand Rapids audience base,” said Sinke. “The work honors Brontë’s timeless narrative while showcasing the power of dance to convey complex emotions and themes. This ballet will offer a unique and immersive experience that will resonate with both longtime fans of the novel and new audiences alike.” (Chris Bovia)

Global Comment talks about Wuthering Heights adaptations and focuses on Wuthering Heights 2009: 

Often described as one of the greatest love stories of all time, Wuthering Heights follows the story of Catherine and Heathcliff through a turbulent love affair, which turns into an epic tale of revenge. (...)

I’m not sure it reads well as a love story. Both Catherine and Heathcliff are in many ways awful characters and their behaviour is rarely truly loving; in some ways they have more in common with vampires – not the sexy modern kind, but the traditional kind who suck everything dry and drain the life from everything around them.

I think it’s perhaps easier to understand the story as an inversion of a love story, despite the love at the centre of it. Luckily the younger generation of the two families provides some hope and contrast so that while there’s plenty of tragedy and cruelty to go around, there’s also hope at the end. (...)

Wuthering Heights has been adapted many times for both film and TV, and for our purposes today I’ll be focusing on the 2009 TV adaptation which has an all-star cast including Sarah Lancashire, Tom Hardy and Andrew Lincoln.

One of the things I love about the adaptation is how it tells the story in chronological order (except for a few minutes at the beginning, which effectively function as a prologue); the novel has a format and structure which works for a novel but which wouldn’t work so well on-screen.

The acting is brilliant – Tom Hardy makes a compelling Heathcliff who has flashes of humanity even when at his most cruel, while Charlotte Riley is excellent as Catherine, with all of her spoiled impetuosity and selfishness. (As an interesting aside, they are now married and apparently this is where they met). Sarah Lancashire is always good, whatever she’s in, and I think she gets the balance of Nelly just right, and Andrew Lincoln makes Edgar Linton into a sympathetic and more rounded character than we see in the book. The cast in general were great and the set and costume design in particular really help to bring the story to life. (Kate Lillie)

Northern Soul interviews the writer Liz Flanagan:

When I talk to Flanagan, she is about to appear at the Brontë Festival of Women’s Writing to delve into the theme of Webs of Childhood. As we chat, she acknowledges how lucky she is to live in Yorkshire. The county’s natural world is key throughout Flanagan’s work, from her YA fiction to her middle and lower-grade books. There are obvious parallels with the Brontës and their deep connection with the awe-inspiring landscape that surrounds the Parsonage. (...)

Finally, I have to ask the question. Does she have a favourite Brontë sibling and a favourite Brontë novel?

It turns out that Flanagan is Team Charlotte. She lights up when we talk about Jane Eyre, at which point I brandish my Jane Eyre mug at the camera with the kind of fervour that only comes with being an unofficial Brontë correspondent.

A few days after we speak, I hear Flanagan in conversation at the Webs of Childhood Brontë Festival of Women’s Writing, a hybrid festival which offers a fantastic series of events for all ages, from magical story workshops for children to feminist invoicing, yoga and poetry and a guided walk to the Brontë waterfall. Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Lucy Mangan and Clare Wallace of Darley Anderson Literary Agency were just a few names appearing at the festival. Their collective wisdom and wit left me feeling energised and optimistic. Thank you, Brontë Society.  (Amy Stone)

Gothic films in the Philippine Daily Enquirer. Among them:

“Jane Eyre” (2011)
While tame compared to the rest of the gothic romances on this list, the 2011 film adaptation of “Jane Eyre” doesn’t shy away from the intense drama, passionate romance, and eerie atmosphere. The movie follows the titular orphaned protagonist (Mia Wasikowska) suffering abuse at the hands of her cruel aunt before working as a governess at the strange estate of Mr. Rochester (portrayed by a dashing, tortured Michael Fassbender). Sensual, dark, and a little creepy, this is a great starter for those just getting into the genre. (Denise Fernandez)

The film is aired today (15.30h) on Paramount Network (Spain). 

The controversy around the casting if the upcoming Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights adaptation is again discussed in Prestige, but no new arguments are added. 

The Rutland Herald interviews Randal Smathers, director of the Rutland Free Library:

Please share some of your favorite authors or book recommendations.
“Foe,” by J.M. Coetzee, and “Wide Sargasso Sea,” by Jean Rhys, which featured in my favorite class in grad school, on writing back to the canon.

Clarín (Argentina) explores female horror writers:

 En paralelo, geográfica y temporalmente, estaba Ann Radcliffe, que en 1789 publicó la lúgubre y épica The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne. No tuvo mucha repercusión en el público ni en la crítica. Pero es fundacional y, con su estilo, marcó el pulso de todo el terror: la ambigüedad a la hora de lo sobrenatural, lo ominoso como geografía.

Influenció a muchos autores y autoras. La abadía de Northanger, debut literario en 1817 de Jane Austen, es un homenaje a The Mysteries of Udolpho, la cuarta y más famosa novela de Radcliffe, de 1794. Cuenta las desventuras de Emily St. Aubert, huérfana y joven encerrada en un castillo sombrío por el Signor Montoni, probablemente acosada por algo sobrenatural, pero también por el peligro tangible del tutor y bandido italiano. De ahí se nutren las hermanas Brontë, sobre todo Charlotte, en Jane Eyre, pero también Emily en Cumbres borrascosas, ambas publicadas en 1847: aunque no sean consideradas de terror, son terroríficas a su modo y llevan en su ADN el mapeo del gótico. (Daniela Pasik) (Translation)

La Opinión de A Coruña (Spain) interviews the writer Lucía Lago:

 ¿Cuáles son sus referentes a la hora de escribir?

Me encantan las autoras inglesas victorianas, las historias de las hermanas Brontë, de Jane Austen, pero más actual, una inspiración para mí es Kate Morton, que es una maestra a la hora de trazar este tipo de historias narradas en dos tiempos, con misterios familiares. (Translation)

The Brontë Sisters YoutTube channel visits Thornton, the Old Bell Chapel, and the Brontë Birthplace. 

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Brontë Sweatshirt

Winter is coming as they say (at least in this hemisphere). And you didn't know you needed this:

Brontë Sisters Comfort Colors Sweatshirt

Book Lover Varsity Crewneck

Dark Academia English Teacher Gift

Gothic Literary Bookish Shirt

Designed by SardinesinParis

Show your love of classic English literature, straight from the Moors. These thick, luxurious-feeling sweatshirts celebrate the Brontë family sisters: Emily Brontë (Wuthering Heights), Charlotte Brontë (Jane Eyre), Anne Brontë (Agnes Grey). They are designed to look like a varsity college style crewneck, so you can show that you're a fan of the most iconic Gothic novels on game day. The crest features pale purple heather flowers, that are known for growing on the Moors, as well as a notebook, reading glasses, pen, and tea pot, all symbols associated with the Brontës and a cozy day.

Via BookRiot. 

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Japan Brontë Society 39th Annual Conference

The 39th Conference of the Japan Brontë Society takes place today:

Japan Brontë Society

39th Annual Conference Program 2024

Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024, 9:50 AM to 5:30 PM

Venue: Kobe City College of Nursing, Education Building West Wing, Room W13

Address: 3-4 Gakuen Nishi-machi, Nishi-ku, Kobe 

Here you can find the complete program in Japanese.

★Reception: 9:20 AM onwards

Master of Ceremonies: Hiroki Takigawa, Lecturer, Osaka Institute of Technology

★Opening Remarks: 9:50 AM

Takeshi Sakamoto, Professor Emeritus, Kansai University

★Research Presentations: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Chair: Chizuko Watari, Former Professor, Kansai Gaidai University

Translators' "Wuthering Heights" - Focusing on the Author's Image

Hidehiro Gyoda, Doctoral Student, Hokkaido University Graduate School

Narrative theorist Gérard Genette called the elements that regulate the reception of a text by connecting with the narrative (the main body of the text) as paratext. This presentation aims to trace the evolution of Emily Brontë's (1818-1848) image held by successive Japanese translators of "Wuthering Heights," using prefaces, afterwords, and commentaries (paratexts in the narrow sense) attached to translated editions as source material. The representation of the author, as background information (paratext in the broad sense), influences the reception of the work. Especially for the Brontë sisters, as Lucasta Miller detailed in "The Brontë Myth" (2001), various author images have been established to the extent that they are described as "Brontë myths." This presentation will follow the changes in Japanese translators' images of Emily Brontë by comparing and contrasting the paratexts of each translation in chronological order, focusing particularly on how they fill the gaps in the largely unknown biography.

Pet Dogs and "Femininity": Animal Representation in Charlotte Brontë's "Villette"

Rie Baba, Doctoral Student, University of Birmingham

This presentation points out that in "Villette," the image of pet dogs plays an important role in highlighting Lucy Snowe's complex emotions and interpreting the work. The word "pet" has meant "companion animal" from the Victorian era to the present, while metaphorically it has also functioned as a term associated with pampering and dependency, such as "favorite" or "darling." In the Victorian era, pet dogs evoked the image of pampered lap dogs and were sometimes used as derogatory expressions, while also functioning as symbols of femininity embodied by ideal mothers and wives. "Villette" depicts Lucy's longing for and rejection of middle-class domestic femininity. Through the image of pet dogs, femininity that conforms to patriarchal values in the Victorian era is portrayed positively, while at the same time, this image also acts to critically distance itself from similar femininity.

Chair: Akiko Kimura, Professor, Waseda University

Emily Brontë and Ludwig Tieck

Chihiro Sakuma, Assistant Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University

This presentation explores the connections between Emily Brontë (1818-48) and Ludwig Tieck (1773-1853). While Paula Sulivan suggested a connection between "Tieck's Bluebeard" published in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine (Feb. 1833) and "Jane Eyre" (1847), there seems to be no previous research directly mentioning the connection between Emily and Tieck. Considering that an article about Tieck's short story was published in Fraser's Magazine (Nov. 1831), the possibility that his works caught Emily's eye cannot be ruled out. I would like to analyze the articles published in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and Fraser's Magazine along with "Wuthering Heights" (1847) to consider Tieck's influence.

Soundscapes in Poetry - The Resonance of Emily Brontë's Poems

Yoko Gonaka, Part-time Lecturer, Kindai University

Many literary figures create poetry with the awareness that their poems will be recited. As Bob Duckett states that all the Brontë children were "capable and knowledgeable musicians," the Brontë siblings had a musical background. Charlotte Brontë (1816-55) described her sister Emily Brontë's (1818-48) poetry as having "a peculiar music—wild, melancholy, and elevating." This presentation aims to analyze the poetic text focusing on resonance and rhythm, which are important auditory elements in poetry, and consider how skillfully the poet chooses words to depict the poetic scenery. We will examine what auditory images are brought about when Emily Brontë's poems are recited and verify the musical artistry seen in her poetry.

-- Break --

★Host Institution's Greeting: 1:00 PM - 1:10 PM

Koji Egawa, President, Kobe City College of Nursing

★General Meeting: 1:10 PM - 1:40 PM

Chair: Miho Katayama, Associate Professor, Osaka Seikei University

Report from the Secretariat: Mari Takumi, Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts

★Encouragement Award Report

Mie Abe, Chair of the Japan Brontë Society Encouragement Award Committee, Professor, Shoin University

★President's Address

Michiko Kurisu, Professor Emeritus, Daito Bunka University

★Conference Committee Chair's Address

Rie Yamauchi, Professor, Kobe City College of Nursing

★Lecture: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Chair: Yumiko Hirono, Vice Director, Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kyoto University

Title: "The Realm of Translation - From My Translations of 'Wuthering Heights' and 'The Mill on the Floss'"

Midori Uematsu, Professor Emeritus, Wayo Women's University

★Symposium: 3:10 PM - 5:20 PM

"Animal Representation and Feminism: The Cases of the Brontë Sisters, Joyce, and Woolf"

Chair and Presenter: Nobumitsu Ukai, Professor, Kyushu University

In recent years, there has been a trend in research to find expressions of feminist issues in the way animals are depicted. Convincing examples of such research include analyses that draw parallels between the situation of women being treated as inferior to men or subordinate to men, and the situations in which animals and pets are placed. The expression of animals is not simple; while bestiality can correspond to the violent aspects of men, the ferocity of animals can also symbolize the anger of oppressed women towards men. Additionally, focusing on animal representation can sometimes reveal unexpected elements of feminist issues depicted in works. In this symposium, we will examine the Brontë sisters, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf from the perspective of animal representation and feminism, considering how Joyce and Woolf in the 20th century inherited and developed the legacy of the 19th-century Brontë sisters.

Heathcliff as an Outsider and Bestiality

Nobumitsu Ukai, Professor, Kyushu University

In my presentation, I will first discuss Anne Brontë's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall," examining the overlap between women's oppressed position and animal representation. Then, I will focus on the expression of Bertha's oppressed position and anger towards men in Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" from the perspective of animal-related expressions. Subsequently, I will analyze the animal representation in Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights." Heathcliff is a villainous male who oppresses women such as Isabella and the second Catherine, and his villainy is also reflected in his attitude towards animals. However, as an outsider, Heathcliff is also a character who, like women, is oppressed within patriarchal society. I would like to consider the meaning of Heathcliff's inhuman bestiality, which resonates with the first Catherine who loves wild things, from a feminist perspective.

Bloom Cooking Breakfast and the Black Cat - Reading the Fourth Episode of "Ulysses"

Keiko Niina, Associate Professor, University of Miyazaki

The fourth episode of "Ulysses" (1922) begins with a kitchen scene where the protagonist Leopold Bloom is busy preparing breakfast, thinking about his favorite grilled lamb kidneys and his beloved wife Molly's preferences. There's a black cat (female) begging Bloom for food, and he interacts with it. He prepares breakfast for his wife, who is still in bed, and a separate menu for himself. Why does Bloom make breakfast for Molly? In fact, he even brings Molly's breakfast to her bed, but what does this mean? Also, why is there a black cat in the Bloom household? What is the significance of this black cat in the story? By asking these questions, I want to deeply interpret the circumstances of the Bloom family while explaining the new world that Joyce presents in "Ulysses."

The Border-Crossing Orlando

Hiromi Harada, Lecturer, National Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu College

Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" (1928) is a unique biographical novel in which the protagonist Orlando hardly ages for about 300 years and even undergoes a sex change from male to female during that time. Due to its characteristic topics such as sex change and androgyny, this work is often discussed from feminist, gender, and queer perspectives, but what happens when we find the presence of animals in it? Derek Ryan focuses on the dogs that appear in this work and points out the connection between sexuality and animality for Woolf by reading it as a schema of Orlando, who crosses the boundaries between male and female, and the dogs who experience or witness such identity crossings. In this presentation, using Ryan's observation as a guideline, I would like to reread "Orlando" from the perspective of feminism and animal representation, focusing particularly on Orlando's various crossings of boundaries such as male/female and human/animal.

★Closing Remarks: 5:20 PM

Michiko Soya, Professor Emeritus, Kobe Kaisei College for Women

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'No woman in her right mind would ever want to be joined in matrimony to this obsessive, vindictive man'

Palatinate discusses 'the use of the male pseudonym in literature'.

Other famous authors, such as the Brontë sisters, also used male pseudonyms throughout their literary careers, albeit to a lesser extent than George and Lee. The Brontës’ use of their male pennames (Curror [sic], Ellis, and Acton Bell) garnered them early literary respect for their poetry, however once they started to publish work under their true identities, support for their writing dwindled – providing a clear indication that society’s problem was not with their work, but with their gender. For instance, speculation that Jane Eyre – which had gained great critical reviews upon its first reception – was in fact not written by Curror [sic] Bell, but by a woman hiding behind the name, damaged the book’s reputation at the time. What was at first regarded as a favourable and serious piece of literature, became branded as an “improper book”, solely due to the fact it was penned by a woman. (Katie Trahair-Davies)

Yorkshire Bylines features the poetry of Jacob Davies.

From an early age, Jacob expressed himself through writing, drawing inspiration from literary figures like Oscar Wilde, Christina Rossetti, Blake, and beat poets such as Ginsberg and Kerouac. Their raw and authentic voices appealed to him: unlike the shallowness he often finds in modern pop music. He has a deep admiration for Wuthering Heights and its emotional rawness. (John Heywood)

The Express Tribune picks 'Three period drama heroes to swoon over' and one of them is

Heathcliff (Ralph Fiennes)

Long before he took on the role of Harry Potter's nemesis, Ralph Fiennes set hearts pounding as he embodied Brontë's embittered anti-hero, Heathcliff from Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. No woman in her right mind would ever want to be joined in matrimony to this obsessive, vindictive man. However, that same woman may temporarily slip out of her right mind upon espying Fiennes' take on this tragic character. According to IMDb, Fiennes was so committed to staying true to Heathcliff that he insisted on banging his head against a tree for a scene, exactly like his literary counterpart. So committed was he that he ended up drawing blood, not that that stopped him. Whilst we do not at all endorse such questionable behaviour, it is difficult not to swoon before that tortured face and those haunted eyes.

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The God of Wuthering Heights

An awkward comparison in this recent paper:

Comparative Gyunocriticism of Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Roy's The God of Small Things

by Melisa Genç 

Humanitas. International Journal of Social Sciences,  Volume: 12 Issue: 24, 150 - 164 (2024)

Abstract

The present paper focuses on two influential female novelists and their ardent endeavours to claim a gender-specific structure and voice within the discourse of the novel. Emily Brontë and Arundhati Roy nauseated their contemporary readers and most of the critics by making use of bi-sexuality and incest as salient structural and thematic features of their narrative. In Wuthering Heights, both thematic and structural elements of Brontë’s feminine narrative operate as meta-narratives reverberating with the becoming of Brontë as a female novelist. The particular impinge of Brontë’s feminine narrative on the discourse of the novel reveals itself through the reversal of the oedipal projectile motion of history. Similarly, Arundhati Roy has weaponized her Indianized language to break from the strict linguistic laws of the symbolic so that the semiotic or the maternal realm has become blatant in The God of Small Things. Like Brontë, Roy wields incest and bi-sexuality to prevent the phallic development of the grand history; instead of the oedipal identity formation process, she displays the motif of incest as an opponent of a linear progression of the hero. Consequently, this study emphasises the differentiation of the two female novelists from the monolithic discourse in the novel. It also explains how feminine narrative structure owing to its immanent on-hand polyphony and bi-sexuality goes hand in hand with what Bakhtin calls heteroglossia and dialogic discourse in the novel.

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Jane Eyre inspired vibes

Culturefly reviews Tales of a Monstrous Heart by Jennifer Delaney.

As the days grow shorter and the night’s get colder, the urge to curl up with something darkly atmospheric and bewitchingly gothic begins to take its hold. Jennifer Delaney’s Tales of a Monstrous Heart is the sweeping slow-burn romantasy to lure you in with its Jane Eyre inspired vibes, ominous supernatural backdrop and brooding romance. But the best thing about this book, aside from the perfect blend of macabre fantasy and heart-stealing romance, is how completely unpredictable it is. From one eerie chapter to the next, you never quite know where this story is going to take you. (Natalie Xenos)

The Pitt News has some 'Fall Book Recommendations' including Jane Eyre, whose plot twist is fully disclosed.

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë

You’ve likely heard of “Jane Eyre” at least once, but if you’ve never read it, this fall is a great time to give it a shot. In this classic novel, a young orphan named Jane Eyre leaves her aunt’s house, where she was raised, to attend the Lowood School. Upon her arrival at Lowood, Jane meets Mr. Brocklehurst — the abusive headmaster of the school — who makes much of her first year there miserable until he is finally fired. 

After spending eight years at Lowood — six as a student and two teaching — Jane leaves to work as a governess at the manor of Thornfield, teaching a girl named Adèle. Gradually, Jane falls in love with a man named Rochester, her employer at Thornfield. Jane struggles to navigate her feelings for Rochester — whom she learns is still in a complicated marriage — and has to decide whether or not she will stay to work at Thornfield. (Evin Verbrugge)

The Daily Tar Heel recommends 'Six hair-raising reads for a spooky Halloween' and one of them is

“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë

Moving now to a classic, we have “Wuthering Heights." Gothic in style and eerie in atmosphere, this book will haunt you the way its ghosts do its characters.

All taking place in the eldritch-feeling backdrop of The Moors, the novel revolves around the tragic story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, whose forbidden love was prevented by Catherine’s family. Heathcliff, distraught by the circumstances of his life, seeks revenge. 

I think "Wuthering Heights" is a display of the darkest crevices of human nature, of horrific tragedy and the epic proportions in which cursed love — or the lack thereof — may take us. In terms of horror, I’d call it more of a psychological thriller. It’s sinister, spectral and even strange at times. (Alexis Clifton)

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Strange Decorative Objects

An example of recent Brontë research:

Les étranges objets décoratifs de « Choseville » (Villette, Charlotte Brontë, 1853)

Isabelle Hervouet-Farrar, Université d'Auvergne

L'Avemor. Vol. 15 No 2 (2024): Devenirs de l'objet

Dans l’autobiographie fictive de Lucy Snowe, postérieure à l’Exposition universelle de 1851, le romantisme flamboyant de Jane Eyre (1847) a cédé la place à un réalisme toujours ardent, mais également préoccupé de matérialité. Cet article questionne la place faite à l’objet, parfois à la « chose » dans Villette (Charlotte Brontë, 1853) en s’appuyant sur la mention d’objets domestiques brodés, cousus ou peints par les femmes : quelques robes, ainsi que deux écrans à feu, une pelote à épingles et une chaîne de montre. Puisque Lucy a elle-même fabriqué la plupart de ceux-ci, la critique analyse souvent l’objet dans Villette comme la matérialisation d’éléments épars de la psyché de l’héroïne, psyché qu’il serait donc possible de reconstruire et de décrire en interprétant ces objets comme métaphores. Dans un récit marqué par la difficulté à exprimer l’intime, Brontë porte d’ailleurs un très grand intérêt à la classique analogie textile-textuel. Il est nécessaire cependant de dépasser une lecture classique des objets comme métaphores de la psyché de Lucy dans la mesure où, si Brontë les utilise comme relais de l’intime, elle semble finalement les poser en concurrence avec le sujet et son langage. Au-delà de l’animisme, Brontë transforme ces objets décoratifs en fétiches dépositaires d’une histoire qui restera tue. Villette rejette même l’opposition binaire sujet-objet pour mettre en scène le contrôle du discours et la réification, parfois la création de l’humain par des vêtements cousus, des bibelots brodés ou peints. Dans le cas de Lucy, la domination opérée par les « choses » oscille entre protection et menace : si à la conclusion du roman Lucy est placée à l’abri au milieu d’objets, elle est elle-même devenu l’un d’eux.

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A gorilla reading Wuthering Heights

Today marks the 177th anniversary of the publication of Jane Eyre.

But it's (almost) all about Wuthering Heights these days. The Torch--a university newspaper--has an op-ed on the so-called 'Whitewashing of Wuthering Heights' which serves to prove that article on university students being unable to read whole books and/or grasp their meaning.

Within the first two pages of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” it is made abundantly clear how main character Heathcliff appears in the novel:

 “He is a dark-skinned gipsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman.”

As the main male character and love interest to Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff was an orphan in Liverpool brought to Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw, Catherine’s father, and made her “adopted sister.” Through the use of multiple narrators, the novel unfolds the story of Heathcliff and Catherine’s tumultuous relationship as they weave in and out of each other’s lives. 

Actor Jacob Elordi, rumored to be playing this role in a new adaptation, is unfit to star not because of talent, personality or lack of sisterly relation to potential co-star Margot Robbie — but because of his race. 

In ignorance of the original characters in the novel, director Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman,” “Saltburn”) has cast a pair that will make the film marketable and a ‘must-see’ for fans. But what about fans of the novel itself? 

Why can’t the industry cast roles not based on current marketability, but instead on accuracy? It feels as if this movie is meant to be an extension of the Elordi and Robbie movie star streak and less of an adaptation of a classic, beloved novel.  

Fans of the novel have taken to social media to express their disdain and outrage towards this new production. Many have “fancasted” actors  Dev Patel and Elle Fanning to be the leading characters in the film due to their appearance, nature and age. Others also argue that a main point of contention with Catherine’s family in the novel is Heathcliff’s race, and a white actor should not be the representation of this.

Hollywood is infamous for casting actors and actresses based on their current relevance or popularity — not on whether they fit the role. This isn’t the only time that adaptations were grossly misrepresented just to fill them with A-listers. [...]

The biggest problem with how Hollywood casts is the blatant lack of accuracy and respect for the original text. Instead of creating a film that is true to the book or work it is based on, the industry casts whoever is the most popular at the time. Though it may seem obvious why trending actors are cast, there is no room left for up-and-coming talent to get their big break.

Doesn’t it seem like all of the same actors and actresses are starring in every major film this past year, or even a few years? Clearly, A-list actors are sought after for roles, but how many characters can they play in such a short time?

Even Robbie’s character, Catherine, is an interesting choice given the character’s nature. Especially with the success and fandom of “Barbie,” having Robbie play Catherine, who is a “spoiled and often arrogant” young girl, feels inaccurate and out of place. Catherine is 15-years-old for the majority of the novel, and Robbie is over twice her age, being 34-years-old. 

This is not to say that Elordi and Robbie will not succeed in their roles; both are capable and talented actors. The bottom line is that so many other talented people could play the roles of Heathcliff and Catherine like the novel intended. The characters of the novel are described how they are, and this sentiment should remain true in any adaptation. (Olivia Rainson)

Had she gone beyond the first two pages of the novel, she would have seen that the descriptions of Heathcliff vary wildly and serve only to emphasise that he's an outsider. He's so ignored that they don't even agree on what he looks like. Had she gone beyond social media, she would have seen that the matter of Heathcliff's origins has been a subject of very interesting--thankfully much deeper--debate for decades.

The Onion jokes about a zoo gorilla that 'Looks Bored Out Of Mind Reading Wuthering Heights'. Well, that could be us reading one more clueless column on Heathcliff.

Observing the 300-pound captive ape from the other side of his enclosure, Lincoln Park Zoo guests expressed empathy this week for western lowland gorilla Nzinga, who looked bored out of his mind reading Wuthering Heights. 

Concerned visitors reported seeing the 26-year-old silverback resting his head on his hairy fist as he stared down at the pages of the classic tale about social class, passion, and revenge, which, with the exception of a few plants and rocks, was seemingly the only enrichment item within the exhibit at his disposal. According to sources, Nzinga’s posture slumped lower and lower throughout the afternoon as he plodded through the turgid prose of the 1847 gothic novel by Emily Brontë.

“Poor thing. Imagine being forced to sit in a cage all day with nothing to do but read about Heathcliff pacing around a mansion and growing bitter with resentment through the years,” said 43-year-old Elmhurst, IL resident Angela Kreusler, who sighed and shook her head as she watched the great ape fidget with the corner of a page. “It’s such a shame. Gorillas need constant stimulus. You can tell he’s not engaged. Just look at the way he yawns every time he turns a page.”

“Can’t they at least give him a Jack Reacher book or something?” added Kreusler, crossing her arms in indignation. 

Zoo visitors told reporters they feared that the inadequate living conditions in the enclosure would cause further suffering for the gorilla, observing that Nzinga was less than one-third of the way through the novel and had ahead of him hundreds of pages detailing the tedious and confusing lives of Cathy, Catherine, Heathcliff, Linton Heathcliff, Hindley, and Hareton, among numerous other impossible-to-keep-track-of characters. 

“Locking up animals like this without any other entertainment options is simply immoral and cruel,” said 29-year-old William Torres, who pledged to never return to any zoo after taking in the depressing sight of the gorilla nearly nodding off while reading the novel. “I just wish I could reach in there and hand him the SparkNotes. He doesn’t even have access to a family tree explaining how those living at Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights are related to each other. No wonder he’s so miserable.”

At press time, animal rights activists were demanding zookeepers give Nzinga an electronic device so he could watch videos or play Doodle Jump.

Even so, we'd bet the poor gorilla would have had a much interesting point of view on the novel than some of those we have read lately.

EnVols has an article on the landscape where Wuthering Heights takes place. Deseret News lists Wuthering Heights among other classic novels that are getting screen adaptations.

Elle asks bookish questions to writer Jean Hanff Korelitz.

The book that: [...]

..made me rethink a long-held belief:

Jo Baker’s Longbourn. I had always been of the opinion that an author’s characters belong to them and them alone, but this reimagining of Pride and Prejudice was revelatory and powerful. I’ve since opened my eyes to other novels that lean on existing works of literature: Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs, Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, Valerie Martin’s Mary Reilly. Eventually, I wrote an entire novel (The Plot) about the imprecise borders between fictions. (Riza Cruz)

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The Absurd Hero

 A new paper which mentions Wide Sargasso Sea:

Sisyphean or Medusan: The Absurd Hero in Jean Rhys's Good Morning, Midnight and Wide Sargasso Sea

Susan Poursanati , Maryam Neyestani

Journal of Modern Literature, Volume 47, Number 4, Summer 2024 pp. 144-161

Jean Rhys's Good Morning, Midnight and Wide Sargasso Sea each create a liminal space wherein the traditional absurd in Camusian sense is both discernable and modified. While the male-female interactions in the novels correspond to the interactive nature of the moment of absurd recognition, the female characters of both novels manifest the same sense of lucidity and constant consciousness that constitutes the essence of absurd heroism. Thus, by casting female heroes as opposed to male ones, Rhys's aforementioned novels introduce the notion of gender and heterogeneity into the absurd. As such, Sisyphus's labor-ridden and mainly corporeal struggle, no longer the sole representative of the absurd, is counterpointed with that of female characters such as Sasha, Antoinette, Christophine, and Amelie whose absurd experiences are more Medusan than Sisyphean.

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Cathy and Heathcliff advertising Chanel no. 5

Daily Mail discusses 'How Hollywood is 'ruining' the classics by 'dumbing it down for Gen Z'' (poor grammar in that headline, we know).

Fans of classic novels have slammed Hollywood adaptations of their beloved books- claiming the industry is 'ruining' works like Pride and Prejudice, which Netflix has just announced plans to produce as a TV show.

It comes following backlash of the streaming giant's remake of Persuasion starring Dakota Johnson in 2022, which, despite being set in the 19th century, used modern phrases in its dialogue.

Elsewhere, viewers recently voiced their ire following news that Emerald Fennell will helm a Wuthering Heights movie, with many hitting out at her 'weird' and 'terrible' casting of Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff - claiming that the director has 'not read' the Emily Brontë novel.

Many have taken to social media to express their dislike of the choice to use two stars who 'look like they belong on Instagram' in a film set during the 1800s. [...]

Elsewhere, last month Wuthering Heights fans slammed Emerald Fennell's upcoming adaptation of the classic.

Social media hit out at the 'whitewashing' of the romantic lead - as Heathcliff (set to be played by Jacob Elordi) is often described to be 'dark skinned' and is subject to 'racist abuse'.

'Guys I can ONLY assume that Emerald Fennell isn't actually adapting Wuthering Heights, she's just using it as inspiration and it's loosely based on and the only similarities are the characters' names and it's set in this time period and it's a different story entirely right?' one joked.

Another wrote: 'Truly the worst casting I've ever perceived, I'm gagged by how Emerald Fennell is committed to never serving.'

A third quipped: 'Looking forward to hearing those distinctive Yorkshire twangs!'

Elsewhere, a comment begged for 'new actors please'. 

News that Margot and Jacob are set to play the lead roles in Emerald's adaptation was revealed by Deadline. 

Margot's LuckyChap company is on board to produce the film. LuckyChap also produced two of Emerald's other movies: Saltburn and Promising Young Woman. 

The film is currently in pre-production, and will shoot in the United Kingdom next year.

No plot details have yet been revealed.

Brontë's Wuthering Heights, published in 1850 [sic], is considered a masterpiece of English literature.

The original story centres around the Earnshaws, the Lintons, and their turbulent relationship with Heathcliff, an adopted son of the Earnshaws.

Heathcliff is one of the most infamous and complex romantic heroes in Western literature, known for his brooding nature and obsession with Cathy. 

There have been a number of film adaptations of the book over the years, with perhaps the most well known being the 1939 version directed by William Wyler, and starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier. 

The most recent adaptation is the 2011 film by Andrea Arnold, starring Kaya Scodelario and James Howson. (Maria Okanrende)

Funny how an article complaining of dumbing down the classics can't get the publication date right.

A contributor to The Mary Sue is still thinking about the so-called controversial casting.

In my proud career as a period drama enthusiast, rarely have I seen such abysmal casting—especially for a property as well-known and as beloved as Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, a 19th-century novel so popular that any new adaptation might as well rely on the power of its title and cast relatively unknown actors who really fit the characters’ descriptions. But to be honest, there’s a good number of already established names who would have worked better than Robbie and Elordi as Catherine and Heathcliff—and that’s with all my love and affection for them and their acting abilities.

There’s honestly a myriad of problems that have already been well and truly analyzed by the Internet since the casting announcement dropped. The blatant case of “iPhone face,” their ages, and the oh-so-inconsequential detail of Heathcliff being very clearly described as a POC in the original novel are simply some of the major ones.

I think it’s so unfair and ridiculous how hollywood casting directors keep erasing canonically BIPOC characters in important roles especially in classic literature and historical roles like in Wuthering Heights, the 2011 adaptation is the only one that had an accurate Heathcliff. (Benedetta Geddo)

There can't be an accurate Heathcliff when there's not an accurate description of Heathcliff in the novel, right? James Howson hardly looked like a 'Lascar' or a 'Spanish castaway' which is how Heathcliff is also described in the novel.

Daily Mail and others are really interested to see Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi working together already in a Chanel no. 5 ad.

On iNews, Lucy Mangan blames 'gentle parenting' for students no longer reading long books.

When I was taking GCSEs – back in the days when they were still newfangled things and your parents still referred to them as O-levels, we read books in class. By which I mean whole books. And plays. The Lord of the Flies. 1984. Macbeth. The Importance of Being Earnest. Wuthering bloody Heights, if you can believe it. It took forever and I cannot say that our national literary canon was best served by being stumblingly read aloud by 35 disaffected teenagers in turn, hour after hour, lesson after lesson, week after week.

Why did the teachers do it this way? Because they knew that few of their students were either of a temperament or came from homes that would enable them to read such tomes anywhere but the classroom. And so the classroom it had to be if we were all to get the prescribed classics, however painfully, under our belts.

El Mundo (Spain) has selected a few 'autumnal books for women' and one of them is Jane Eyre.

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The Brontës and the Fairy Tale

 A new scholarly book is published this month:

The Brontës and the Fairy Tale

by Jessica Campbell

Ohio University Press

Series in Victorian Studies

ISBN 9780821425640 (hardcover)

November 2024

ISBN: 9780821425657 (ebook)

October 2024

The Brontës and the Fairy Tale is the first comprehensive study devoted to the role of fairy tales and folklore in the work of Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell Brontë. It intervenes in debates on genre, literary realism, the history of the fairy tale, and the position of women in the Victorian period. Building on recent scholarship emphasizing the dynamic relationship between the fairy tale and other genres in the nineteenth century, the book resituates the Brontës’ engagement with fairy tales in the context of twenty-first-century assumptions that the stories primarily evoke childhood and happy endings. Jessica Campbell argues instead that fairy tales and folklore function across the Brontës’ works as plot and character models, commentaries on gender, and signifiers of national identity.

Scholars have long characterized the fairy tale as a form with tremendous power to influence cultures and individuals. The late twentieth century saw important critical work revealing the sinister aspects of that power, particularly its negative effects on female readers. But such an approach can inadvertently reduce the history of the fairy tale to a linear development from the “traditional” tale (pure, straight, patriarchal, and didactic) to the “postmodern” tale (playful, sophisticated, feminist, and radical). Campbell joins other contemporary scholars in arguing that the fairy tale has always been a remarkably elastic form, allowing writers and storytellers of all types to reshape it according to their purposes.

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Brilliant literary conceit

The Post (New Zealand) has an article on Jean Rhys.

There are four early Rhys novels — Quartet (1928), After Leaving Mr Mackenzie (1930), Voyage in the Dark (1934) and Good Morning, Midnight (1939) — followed by a nearly 30-year break before her late masterpiece, Wide Sargasso Sea (1966), with its brilliant literary conceit of taking up the story of the first Mrs Rochester, the mad woman in the attic, from Charlotte Brontë’s 19th-century classic Jane Eyre. (Guy Somerset)

Business Today on why Malaysian future leaders need to be empathic.

The importance of empathy in leadership can be traced back through the ages, even in classic literature. Consider Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë’s timeless novel. The protagonist, Jane, while enduring many hardships, learns empathy through her own suffering and her experiences with others. Her ability to understand and empathize with the struggles of those around her—whether it’s the tortured Mr. Rochester or the fragile Helen Burns—makes her a strong, principled character. Likewise, Malaysia’s future leaders must learn to lead not just with intellect and strategy but with empathy, which will allow them to truly connect with the people they are meant to serve.

AnneBrontë.org has a post on Charlotte Bronte In Hornsea.

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Assessing the Translations

Are you interested in Jane Eyre's translations to Arab? We knew it. Here is you thing:

Assessing the Translation of Direct Speech in “Wuthering Heights” into Arabic

Dhafar Asim Sulaiman Yahya, University of Mosul / Department of Translation College of Arts, Najat Abdulrahman Hasan, University of Mosul / Department of Translation College of Arts

Journal of Language Studies,  Vol. 8 No. 9 (2024): Vol.8, No. 9, 2024

The present study tackles the translation of direct speech forms in Bronte’s novel "Wuthering Heights" into Arabic. The significance of this study stems from the fact that English direct speech forms in literary texts might pose substantial challenges when translated into Arabic due to their semantic connotations and structural peculiarities. The study aims at assessing the translation of English direct speech forms in "Wuthering Heights" novel into Arabic. It also aims at investigating the problems that may arise during the translation of direct speech forms in this novel into Arabic. Wuthering Heights is Emily Bronte’s unique novel. It is a story of love and revenge, this exciting and vivid novel depicts a deep and devastating love between its two main characters, the stubborn, charming Catherine and the handsome, dark-skinned, impulsive Heathcliff, both of whom are as wild as the Yorkshire moors where the novel takes place The study hypothesizes that translating direct speech in literary texts poses serious difficulties for the translators. To test the validity of the hypothesis, the study includes a practical chapter which tackles the translation of (25) excerpts that have been chosen from Wuthering Heights novel along with four Arabic translation versions. The Arabic renderings are those of the Arabic Cultural Centre (2016), Rifaat Naseem (1975), Helmi Murad (2003) and Hanna Saeed (2021). The analysis is implemented according to the model proposed by Vinay and Darbelnet (1958) which tackles the different kinds of translation approaches and strategies available for the translator when handling the task of translating various kinds of texts.

The study concludes that novice and unskilled translators might encounter serious difficulties and challenges in translating direct speech expressions due to the multiple meanings and connotations inherent in such expressions. It also concludes that context plays a vital role in defining the most appropriate rendering for the SL text.

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The Vicar, the play and the adaptations

The Bolton News interviews Rev Oliver Preston who is the vicar of St Michael and All Angels Church in Haworth:

Rev Oliver Preston was previously working at the Hope Centre in Johnson Fold and moved to Haworth in West Yorkshire with his wife and children in July last year after he felt a calling to the role.
In his new role, Oliver oversees three churches in Haworth, St Michael and All Angels Church, St Gabriel's Church in Stanbury and Cross Roads-cum-Lees St James Church.

In 1820, Patrick Brontë, father of the renowned authors, Charlotte Brontë and Emily Brontë, accepted to living of Haworth and moved to the St Michael and All Angels Parsonage with his family.

There are estimated to be 42,000 burials in the graveyard, many of the graves from the time of the Bronte family hold entire families including a number of infants. (...)

“Because of the connection to the Bronte sisters, St Michaels attracts thousands of visitors and tourists, so how we welcome them is important.

"Haworth is a beautiful area so it attracts tourists, but this can make it hard to have a sense of local community – which is something we’re working towards." (Leah Collins)

Broadway World presents the premiere of the Bristol Old Vic-National Theatre production of Jane Eyre in the US. It will happen in Austin:

Austin Shakespeare will be the first American theater company to stage a new version of Jane Eyre, recently developed by The National Theatre of Great Britain and The Bristol Old Vic Theatre. It will run Nov. 9-24 at the Long Center’s Rollins Theatre with a low-priced preview Nov. 8. Regular tickets start at $28. 

rtistic Director Ann Ciccolella relishes the passion and madness of the classic novel. “We can’t wait to share this new version of Charlotte Brontë’s trailblazing romance,” she said. “Austin actors and contemporary live music bring a modern, Austin flavor to the classic story.”

Taylor Flanagan will portray Jane. She has performed in the Chamber Music Festival’s collaboration of The Tempest and was Jo March in a staged reading of Jo and Louisa; in shows at Hyde Park Theatre, Penfold Theatre, Ground Floor Theatre, Deaf Austin Theatre and ZACH Theatre. Tim Blackwood is the formidable, mysterious master of the house, “Mr. Rochester.” (Steph Wild)

/Film recommends some ghost films on streaming. Among them Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak:

Playing out like "Jane Eyre" meets "The Haunting of Hill House," "Crimson Peak" finds Edith in serious danger and dealing with ghosts and other dark secrets. (Chris Evangelista)

The York Press recommends ghost stories and vampire thriller, like The Black Feathers by Rebecca Netley:

With a secluded house on the bleak Yorkshire Moors laden with secrets and full of enigmatic characters, The Black Feathers is an atmospheric Victorian Gothic thriller reminiscent of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. This book exudes palpable eeriness and a pervasive sense of dread, making it an ideal autumnal read. 

Josephine Brady explores 'cancer literature' in the Irish Times:

When we feel imprisoned by despair and cut off from the world, the alchemy of great cancer writing releases us. It heals our despair. It restores the possibility of becoming, as was so perfectly expressed by Emily Brontë, “chainless souls”, with the strength to endure whatever cancer may have in store. 

Vogue (France) lists the best and the worst Wuthering Heights adaptations. In a nutshell the best according to the article Wuthering Heights 1939, Onimaru (1988) and Wuthering Heights 2011. The worst, Wuthering Heights 1992 and Wuthering Heights 2009. But it's obvious they haven't take into consideration a lot of adaptations.

Femina (France) also recommends adaptations of Wuthering Heights. Curiously, Wuthering Heights 1939 and Wuthering Heights 2011 are recommend but also Wuthering Heights 1992.

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On Nature Imagery

An example of recent Chinese Brontë scholars:

On Nature Imagery and the Heroine’s Growth in Jane Eyre 

Qizhen Cai, Jingdong Zhong

Zhejiang Yuexiu University, Shaoxing, China. 

Scientific Journal Of Humanities and Social Sciences   

Volume 5 Issue 6, 2023 

Corresponding Author Abstract Jane Eyre is a masterpiece written by Charlotte Bronte. It is an autobiographical work. The novel takes the life of the orphan Jane Eyre as the main line, shows the rough life experience of the heroine Jane Eyre, and successfully portrays brave female imagery who dares to fight, love and hate. It expresses the dissatisfaction and struggle of the author as a woman against the social phenomenon that women have always been in a subordinate position in society at that time. When the author created Jane Eyre, the wave of the Industrial Revolution made Britain one of the world’s leading industrial powers. With the development of heavy industry, the natural environment has been destroyed. At the same time, women could do fewer and fewer jobs, and they had to rely on men economically. This paper tries to explain the critical role played by natural imagery in Jane Eyre in the process of the heroine’s growth. This paper is composed of four sections: the first section introduces the writing intention of the thesis, the background of Jane Eyre and the significance of the research; The second section expounds on the research achievements of the novel at home and abroad; The third section discusses the natural imagery in the novel, and discusses the influence of Nature imagery on the growth of the heroine Jane Eyre; The forthsection is the conclusion, which summarizes the previous chapters and emphasizes the practical significance of this article again, especially the importance of correctly establishin

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